Finally Done!

An overall view of the saloon. The side nearest the camera and the roof will be clear acrylic so visitors can see into the structure.

 Some projects seem to last forever. My California Grand Palace saloon was one of these (http://sandcrr.blogspot.com/2021/05/a-work-in-progress.html). There was a lot of different things to do and, after adding in the electronics, a lot MORE things to do. It is now, however, ready to be installed on the railroad.

The pool table offers an interesting distraction to patrons. 
Note the spittoon and it surrounding area of "misses." No 
model spittoons were found so I had mine 3D printed.

     

The bar includes a free lunch counter. Note the beer mugs on
the bar.

As mentioned before, the building is constructed with clear acrylic plastic walls. Evergreen styrene siding is glued to the outside while wallpaper is applied on the inside. In both pieces, cutouts were made for window locations. Using my laser printer simplified this process immensely. The interior was built of styrene with Grandt Line (now San Juan Details) and Tichy trim pieces.

     One of the factors taking a great length of time was the interior detail. There's an awful lot of tables and chairs which had to be assembled and glued down, not to mention the figures. There are 98 of them, all of which had to be painted. Seated figures are a lot harder to come by, it seems, especially ones who are playing cards. I did find enough, though.

A view from the audience's perspective with the ads of local business on the curtain as was the custom in the 1800s.

     Once mounted on the railroad, the saloon will have lights plus a sound track included a featured singing. The curtain will rise and fall when needed.

     

A Visitor on the S&C

The Western and Atlantic's General coasts through Farmington.

 Last week, the Stockton & Copperopolis had a nifty new visitor running through town. It was George Bogatiuk's model of the Western & Atlantic's General. As most of you probably know, the General was one of the locomotives which took part in the Andrews Raid of 1862 otherwise known as "The Great Locomotive Chase." George was in town on business and stopped by to show me the locomotive. It ended up running over the railroad from Oakdale to Stockton and back and it is a very nice-running engine. George started with a Bachmann 4-4-0, added new domes, smokestack, headlamp and other modifications to recreate the locomotive's appearance in 1862. Of course, the engine has a Soundtraxx Tsunami2 TSU 1100 decoder in it with a current keeper and it sounds very nice. 

     For those of you who might not know, George works for Soundtraxx and frequently puts on clinics at various model railroad functions such as the Railroad Protoype Modelers' meet in St. Louis last weekend. He has just gotten interested in Civil War-era railroading and the General is a great first locomotive.

New Power for the Stockton & Copperopolis (?)

Great Northern 363 ABC crosses the Stanislaus River bridge during a test run following decoder programming.

The Stockton & Copperopolis is modernizing its motive power fleet with the acquisition of a used Great Northern ABA set? Is the S&C updating to the early 1950s? No, not really. A friend of mine who models the GN was over today and we were working on the programming of a new decoder in his locomotive. After the programming, we took the engine for a spin around the railroad to test it out. John Breau, the locomotive's owner, has a great GN-based railroad upon which I am privileged to operate now and then. The locomotive just looked so good, the company photographer had to record the event.

A Work in Progress

The California Grand Palace's streetside view and main entrance.

The Oakdale trackside area has had a blank spot in it for far too long. Part of the reason it stayed vacant is because I had not yet decided what might go well in that spot. Several weeks ago, I finally reached a decision had began building a suitable structure. I wanted a large saloon with a detailed interior including a stage for entertainers. This saloon would also include a sound track. As of this point, I have completed the exterior structure of the building but the sound and detailing the interior still needs to be accomplished.

     

The Long Bar is ready for customers but standup ones only. Tables and chairs are still to be added. The stage curtain is typical of early theaters which put the advertising space to good use. The "kerosene" lamps were made from plastic beads and very small leds. 

The saloon is totally freelanced and not based on any specific structure. To be honest, real saloons were generally  built with a narrow front entrance but a long depth, just enough for the bar and a few tables. The Grand Palace has more in common with the huge edifices often seen in Hollywood western movies. It's not particularly prototypical but it is what I was looking for.

    Construction is with acrylic sides with styrene siding laminated to them. The window and door casings were cut using my laser cutter. Other parts were styrene shapes plus detail parts from Tichy and San Juan Details.

     The interior of the building has a stage with a working curtain and a number of LED lights. There's much more to do but the drinking class of Oakdale seem to be looking forward to completion. 

The Cemetery at Milton

Funerary services are being held for one of the citizens of Milton. All of the items used in the scene are commercial products readily available.

Wandering through the cemetery at Milton (the prototype, not the model) is an interesting look at the past. Some people died young while others lived into their 80s. It seemed appropriate to provide a cemetery for my model Milton. I was able to put together a small cemetery which was not kept up real well but was still serviceable. The mourners, casket and minister came from a Langley (British) figure set while the tombstones were from Woodland Scenics. The fancy fencing is made by Tichy. The sign over the entrance was cut out using my laser cutter. The hearse is a Jordan product.

 

Fifty Years and Counting

 

While I know I've been in the model railroading hobby for quite a while, it was a surprise to receive a certificate documenting that fact. That would be mean that I joined the NMRA in 1971 which seems about right. Even though I had been reading model railroad magazines throughout my teen years, it wasn't until 1969 when I finally purchased my first car kit and actually moved out of the armchair. After a few kits, I thought it was a good idea to join the NMRA. It's been a fun time and, for me, just the start of more fun with the hobby.

I guess it is fitting that, after 50 years in the Association, it opened its Magic of Scale Model Railroading exhibit at the California State Railroad Museum (as though my tenure in the NMRA had anything to do with that). I found several photos on line showing some of the exhibits in the museum. https://www.flickr.com/photos/192373853@N06/sets/72157718547893733/. It looks like it's well worth a visit if you find yourself in California. I'm not sure when the CSRM will reopen but, hopefully, it will be soon. 

New Boxcar Added to Fleet

My Gorre & Daphetid boxcar at Peters. The decals had dimensional lettering for a 36-foot car which is perfect for a Model Die Casting kit and fits right in with my era. 

Every model railroader has a beginning. Mine started in the fifth grade when I discovered that the local library had Model Railroader in its collection. From then until the end of college, my activity in the hobby was limited to reading the magazines. In those days, one of the real treats was admiring the photos of the Gorre & Daphetid Railroad as modeled by John Allen. As most of you probably know, his railroad was then, and still today, a scenic delight. 

      In 1970, I had the opportunity to attend a mini-meet of the Pacific Coast Region of the NMRA in Santa Barbara. Upon my arrival on Friday night, I ran into John in the hotel lobby. We spoke for a while and then, he invited me to join him on the layout tours. I spent the next few hours looking at the area's railroads. Later, he invited me to come up to his hotel room for a discussion of model railroad topics with Cliff Grandt and Charlie Trombley. I mainly listened.

John Allen as I knew him. 

     John was a very nice person and answered my questions and listened to my opinions as though I had years of experience in the hobby. I saw John once again a few months later at another model railroad event. He invited me to come to Monterey to see his railroad. I put off the trip and then, in 1973, John passed away and the railroad was destroyed shortly thereafter.

     Recently, I saw an offering for G&D decals on ebay. On impulse, I purchased a set and applied them to an old Model Die Casting kit. It's not prototypical but model railroading is supposed to be fun and I have a few unprototypical cars on the railroad which remind me of people or moments in my journey in this hobby.

     Every model railroader has a beginning. Fortunately, mine started out with some enthusiasm generated by one of the best modelers in the hobby.